Co-written By: Alyssa Costantino
Intermittent Fasting is a popular diet trend that focuses on nutrient timing over nutrient composition. With this, the question often arises…
Does the time in between meals impact our health, or do daily intake totals matter more?
The answer is always daily totals of nutrient choices throughout the day, but meal time and fasting does play a large role. In addition, studies have shown numerous benefits towards maximizing the overnight fasting window and reducing daily caloric intake such as…
- Decreased body weight
- Decreased body fat
- Improved blood pressure
- Improved insulin sensitivity
- Decreased LDL cholesterol and triglycerides
Intermittent fasting is not right for everyone!
Who Should Not Intermittent Fast?
- Anyone with a current diagnosis or history of an eating disorder, along with anyone who may be susceptible to disordered eating habits.
- Anyone who has diabetes and is taking insulin.
- Anyone under the age of 18
- Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding
- Anyone who has been advised not to by their doctor!
How does this work?
Intermittent fasting tends to work for people as we see added benefits of lipolysis (the process of using fat storage as energy) in addition to decreasing the eating window during the day which tends to decrease overall caloric intake.
Intermittent fasting may be helpful if…
- You have hit a plateau with your weight loss
- You struggle with overeating at night
- You struggle with eating enough during the day
HOWEVER…
- Intermittent fasting can be over restrictive and not sustainable.
- Extended fasting can often lead to undesirable dietary choices during the eating window .
- There are many ways to achieve these effects without restricting your intake to a certain timeframe.
What to consider…
- Balance out your daily calorie intake to your nutrient needs! Make sure you are eating a healthy and balanced diet while incorporating physical activity BEFORE you think about trying Intermittent Fasting
- Consult your medical provider if you have any health conditions or are taking any medications that may be affected.
- Work closely with your registered dietitian to make intermittent fasting sustainable and beneficial for you!